John- 3-Cambridge Use of English

Gregor said he did not want his son to go to university in England

Gregor said he was no keen on his son going to university in England

Holly felt it wasn't worth trying out for the hockey team

Holly felt that there was no point in trying out for the hockey team

I tried to contact you earlier but I've only just managed to get through

I have been trying to get in touch with you for hours

Georgia hasn't written to me recently

I have not heard from Georgia for/in a while / I have heard nothing from Gerogia for/in a while

I almost took the job, but changed my mind at the last minute

I was close to accepting the job, but changed my mind at the last minute

Anna rarely writes letters to me so the one I received last week was a surprise

I was surprised to receive a letter from Anna last week as she rarely writes to me

I'm sorry now that we didn't save a bit more money for the holidays

I wish we had set aside a bit more money for the holidays

Reducing the time we spend on boring paperwork would be good for all of us

I would be everyone's/everybody's interest to cut down/if we cut down on the time we spend on boring paperwork

I only watched that film because you recommended it to me

I would never have watched that film if you hadn't recommended it to me

Can you please help me with my luggage?

I would really appreciate it if you could help me with my luggage

I don't think it's a good idea to lower the voting age in national elections

I'm not in favour of lowering the voting age in national elections

I've heard a rumour that John will be resigning at the end of the month

I've heard a rumour that John intends to hand in his resignation at the end of the month

If he doesn't get that job, who knows what he'll do!

If he doesn't get that job there is no knowing what he'll do

But for Paul's help, I never would have finished the project on time

If it had not been for Paul's help, I never would have finished the project on time

Remember, if you go on a student exchange, you won't see your family for several months

If you go on a student exchange, it will mean not seeing your family for several months

Since January, fewer children have been arriving late for school

Since January, there has been a reduction in the number of children arriving late for school

I'm sure that facing such an experienced opponent as Maria Suarez wasn't easy, but Ellie played very well

It can't have been easy to come up against such an experienced opponent as Maria Suarez, but Ellie played very well

Some people say that the most effective way to learn is by trial and error

It has been said that learning by trial and error is the most effective

I don't mind if you go to the football match with your friends

It makes no differenceto me if you go to the footbal match with your friends

Sam never thought of asking me for my advice

It never occurred to Sam to ask me for my advice

The government's measures did nothing to combat the high unemployment rate

The government's measures were ineffective in combating the high unemployment rate

According to the organisers, it was because of the rain that so few people attended the festival

The organisers blamed the rain for the low attendance at the festival

As well as the rate of pay for your new job, you need to consider the workload

The workload needs to be taken into consideration as well as the rate of pay for your new job

I'm sure people will object to the idea of building a new runway at the city airport

There are bound to be objection to the idea of building a new runway at the city airport.

They were sure they had been right to relocate to the countryside

They had no regrets about relocating to the countryside

Jenny was the person who really didn't want to tidy up after the party

It was Jenny who objected to tidying up after the party

Nobody informed Mary about the changes to the regulations until yesterday

It was only yesterday that/when Mary was informed about the changes to the regulations

If Janet doesn't accept the job offer promptly, she might lose it

Janet runs the risk of losing the job offer if she doesn't accept it promptly

John said that he wouldn't hesitate to recommend Elaine for the coaching job at Darnell Sports Centre

John said that he would have no hesitation in recommending Elaine for the coaching job at Darnell Sports Centre

John would only leave his house when he had checked that all the windows had been locked

John used to insist on checking that all the windows had been locked before he left his house

There's a rumour that Jordi Marse, the Barcelona manager, has resigned this morning

Jordi Marse, the Barcelona manager is said to have handed in his resignation this morning

Kazuo didn't want to hand in his essay half-finished but he had to

Kazuo had no choice but to hand in his essay half-finished

They claim that King Charles I spent a night at this hotel

King Charles I is thought to have spent a night at this hotel

I was really surprised to bump into Marianne at the airport

Marianne was the last person I expected to bump into at the airport

Mats promised to ring as soon as he got home

Mats said that he would ring the moment (that) he got home

Michelle's brother talks a lot more than she does

Michelle is nowhere near as talkative as her brother

Lucy was very pleased to be given an award

Much to Lucy's delight she was/her delight Lucy was given the award

I was amazed that John stopped eating meat completely in an attempt to improve his health

Much to my amezement John gave up eating meat completely in an attempt to improve his health

My hometown used to be a lot quieter twenty years ago

My hometown is not nearly as quiet as it was twenty years ago

They put Roger in charge of health and safety in the factory

Roger was made responsible for health and safety in the factory

It will take half the time if we make pasta instead of risotto

Preparing risotto will take twice as long as making pasta

Ryan usually goes for a walk on a Sunday morning

Ryan is in the habit of going for a walk on Sunday morning

Sean phoned the secretary before he left home to check the meeting hadn't been cancelled

Sean phoned the secretary before he left home because he thought the meeting might have been called off

She started to laugh when she heard what had happened

She burst into laughter when she heard what had happened

She intends to buy those designer shoes no matter what I say

She has heart set on those designer shoes no matter what I say

The say that she has been cheating the company for years

She is alleged to have been cheating the company for years

Everyone was horrified when the new manager dropped Ripley from the fist team and picked Conway instead

To everyone's horror Ripley was left out of the first team by the new manager and he picked Conway instead

'Can you help me with the gardening?' Tom asked me

Tom asked me if I could give/lend him a hand with the gardening

Tom can't stop thinking about his holiday since he booked it three weeks ago

Tom has been obsessed with his holiday for three weeks now

What are your plans for celebrating Nina's birthday?

What do you have/have you got in mind for celebrating Nina's birthday

'It was me. I ate the last piece of cake!' Alice said

Alice admitted to having eaten the last piece of cake

Ben doesn't need to worry at all about his exam results because he knows how hard he studied

Ben is not the least worried about his exam results because he knows how hard he studied

Somebody stole Brian's wallet during the concert

Brian had his wallet stolen while he was at the concert

Connor isn't handling his retirement very well

Connor has not come to terms with his retirement yet

Although we had no money, we were able to enjoy our holiday at home

Despite our lack of money we enjoyed spending our holiday at home

Do you mind if I open the window?

Do you have any objections to my opening the window?

A player of his quality shouldn't have missed that penalty

He's such a good player that he shouldn't have missed that penalty

Polly's fancy dress outfit was so funny that it made me laugh

I could not help laughing at polly's fancy dress outfit

The idea of going on a skiing holiday this winter doesn't interest me at all

I couldn't care less if/about whether we go on a skiing holiday this winter or not

I don't think you'll have much difficulty understanding the local dialect

I don't think you will find it (very/too/particularly) difficult to understand the local dialect

There was less economic growth in September than there was in October

In October, the economy did/grew slightly better/more than it did in September

He pretended to have a cold so that he wouldn't have to go to work

In order to avoid going to work he pretended to have a cold

Schoolchildren find the museum's interactive exhibits particularly exciting

In particular schoolchildren are excited by the museum's interactive exhibits

Maria succeeded because she was able to follow the instructions

Maria's success was due to her ability to follow the instructions

I thought my new job would be a lot more exciting

My new job is nowhere near as exciting as I had thought it would be

The executive board couldn't decide who to hire as new CEO

No decision has been made regarding the hiring of the new CEO

He'd only been away from his desk for a few seconds when the boss came asking for him

No sooner had he left his desk than the boss came asking for him

We will probably have to get our central heating system serviced soon

Our central heating system will be in need of a servicing soon(TO BE CHECKED)

Paula is responsible for arranging the office party this year

Paula is in charge of sorting out the office party this year

Paula doesn't have the ability to organise the meeting

Paula is incapable of organising the meeting

Pete was afraid of seeming ridiculous, so he avoided answering the question

Pete avoided answering the question for fear of making a fool of himself

The town council is planning on converting the old park into a leisure complex

Plans are being drawn up to convert the old park into a leisure complex

The apple crop this year has never been better

The apple crop this year is the best it has ever been

The bread dough should be twice as big after an hour

The bread dough should have doubled in size after an hour

If there is a fire in the building, everyone must evacuate

The building must be evacuated in the event of a fire

There were hardly any people in the cinema when we went to see the film

The cinema was virtually empty when we went to see the film

The company is almost certain to get the contract

The company stands every chance of winning/getting the contract

She refused to pay the bill because the waiter was very rude

The rudeness of the waiter led to her refusal to pay the bill

The school board plans to reduce the English department by a half

The school board is planning on getting rid of half the English department

You need to explain the system to the students clearly for them to understand it

The students need to be given a clear explanation of the system for them to understand it

There have been fewer visitors to the museum in recent years

There has been a decline in the number of visitors to the museum in recent years

Some problems no one expected were encountered on the project

We came up against some unexpected problems on the project

Don't forget to send regular emails to let me know what's going on

You can keep me in the picture by sending regular emails

Train services have been greatly disrupted by the transport workers' strike

A great deal of disruption has been caused to train services by the transport workers' strike

To a lot of people, an Australian and a New Zealand accent sound exactly the same

A lot of people are unable to tell the difference between an Australian and a New Zealand accent

It is important to be well prepared for an interview because if you make a mistake, you may not get the job

A mistake in an interview may cost you the/a job so it is important to be well prepared

The weather was getting worse so Joe was forced to give up his attempt to climb to the summit

Due to the worsening weather, Joe had no other/little choice/alternative/option but to give up his attempt to climb to he summit

When people treated Emily like a child, she didn't like it

Emily resented being treated as if/though she was a child

Enrico doesn't cook for himself in the evenings because he's too lazy

Enrico can not be bothered to cook for himself in the evenings

Everybody understands the importance of a healthy diet, but this doesn't mean they always keep to it

Everybody understands how important a healthy diet is, but this doesn't mean they always keep to it

Hilary was asked to give an explanation for making the mistake

Hilary was asked to explain why she (had)made the mistake

Jenny's achievements impress me much less than her sister's do

I don't think Jenny's achievements are as nearly as impressive as those of her sister

I think it was a mistake to lend your car to Joe

I don't think you should have lent your car to Joe

I was surprised how hard I had to work when I became a teacher

I had to work more/harder than I (had) expected when I became a teacher

I think the weather will improve next week

I think there'll be a change for the better in the weather next week

I wanted to get a mechanic to service my car before I went on holiday, but I didn't have time

I would like to have had my car serviced before I went on holiday, but I didn't have time

Pierre's presentation showed he was against the proposed takeover

In his presentation, Pierre made it clear/obvious/known/apparent that he objected to the proposed takeover

In his speech, the Principal did not mention the new language courses

In his speech, the Pricipal did not make any reference/made no reference to the new language courses

Only when Yoshi was promoted to his new job did he realise how much he was appreciated by his colleagues

It was not until Yoshi's promotion to his new job that he realised how much he was appreciated by his colleagues

It didn't take Steven long to show his true character

It was only a matter of time before Steven showed his true character

The lighthouse was only accessible by sea

It was only possible to reach the light house by sea

I shouldn't try and contact Kate until next week because she's on holiday at the moment

It's not worth trying to get in touch with Kate until next week because she's on holiday at the moment

'I promise I willl never tell anyone about the missing files', said Jenny

Jenny gave her word that she would never tell anyone about the missing files

John thought it was very strange that Fred had not answered his letter

John thought that Fred's failure to answer his letter was very strange

Julia says that her sister is the only person to know of our plans to get married

Julia says that apart from her sister nobody/her sister apart nobody/no one(else) knows of our plans to get married

Like many students, Joe would find it very difficult to pay for everything he needs if his parents didn't help him

Like many students, Joe would have great difficulty making ends meet without the help of his parents

Lisa made a mistake when she decided to exercise and not warm up properly first

Lisa's decision to exercise without warming up properly first was a mistake

Make sure you know what the time is, otherwise you'll miss the start of the play

Make sure you keep track of the time so as not to miss the start of the play

Many people believe that Edison has the ability to become world judo champion

Many people believe that edison is/to be capable of winning the world championship in judo

We could always rely on Maria to challenge our supervisor whenever he became too bossy and demanding

Maria could always be relied on/upon to stand up to our supervisor whenever he became too bossy and demanding

My boss says he has no intention of making anyone redundant, even though the situation is difficult for the company right now

My boss says he would not dream of laying anyone off, even though the situation is difficult for the company right now

My cousins, Joe and Ben, are identical twins and when they were small my dad could never work out who was who

My cousins, Joe and Ben, are identical twins and when they were small my dad could never tell the difference between the two

My tutor says she's been too busy to read my essay, but she'll mark it by the end of the week

My tutor says she has not got round to read my essay yet, but she'll mark it by the end of the week

Naomi said Michael should formally complain about the service they'd had at the hotel

Naomi encouraged Michael to make a formal complaint about the service they'd had at the hotel

'I'm sorry, but there's no way I'm going to sleep on the floor,' said Naomi

Naomi made it clear (that) she was not prepared to sleep on the floor

They say New York was a rather aggressive city 20 years ago but it feels quite friendly these days

New York is supposed to have been a rather aggressive city 20 years ago but it feels quite friendly these days

The weather was bad so the football league cancelled all matches

No football league matches were played due to bad weather

Despite all their efforts, they could not get the old car to start

No matter how hard they tried/struggled/how much hard work they did, they couldn't get the old car to start

Once Catherine moved to the Finance Department, she soon acquired more responsibilities than she had ever had in her previous job

Once Catherine moved to the Finance Department, it was not long before she took more responsibilities than she had ever had in her previous job

Once the visitors had gone, Rachel started her homework immediately

Once the visitors had gone, Rachel immediately got/sat/settled down to start/do her homework

'As we climb higher, it gets harder to breathe, ' our guide warned us at the start of the trek

Our guide warned us that the higher we climb/climbed the harder breathing would/will get

Pat does no intend to have a holiday this year

Pat has no intention of going on holiday this year

Paula knew nothing at all about who the folder belonged to and why it appeared on her desk

Paula had absolutely no idea whose folder it was and why it appeared on her desk

People usually need specific qualifications to get onto the nursing course, but they would treat Maria differently because of her practical experience

People usually need specific qualifications to get onto the nursing course, but they agreed to make an exception in Maria's case because of her practical experience

'Do you want to go and see the new play at the Arts centre?' Petra asked her friend

Petra asked her friend whether she was/would be interested in going to see the new play at the Arts Centre

The reduction in the price of the magazines led to a growth in sales

Sales of the magazine grew/increased/went up as a result of the reduction in the price

Only when Sally had finished her meal did she become aware of people staring at her

Sally did not realise people were staring at her until she had finished her meal

'Please do whatever you can to persuade your colleagues to bring the date of the meeting forward', Selina said to David

Selina urged David to do/try his utmost to persuade his colleagues to bring the dat of the meeting forward

You can understand why Andrew's comments upset Sofia so much

Sofia can't be blamed for being upset at Andrew's comments

Mr Nakata should have been collected from the station at 7.30 p.m

Someone was supposed to have picked up Mr Nakata from the station at 7.30 p.m

Stefano thought that no one had done much to prepare for Alicia's farewell party

Stefano was under the impression that little had been done to prepare for Alicia's farewell party

Sven would have called yesterday if he had had more time

Sven didn't call yesterday because/as/since he was short of time

The company's owners are quite radical because they've got rid of a whole layer of managers, and they've introduced flexible working time

The company's owners are quite radical because not only have they done away with a whole layer of managers, but they've also introduced flexible working time

The stadium was demolished in 2003, and there are still no plans to build a new one

The demolition of the stadium took place in 2003, and there are still no plans to build a new one

Everyone in the office was really surprised when the manager decided to cancel the meeting

The manager's decision to call off the meeting/call the meeting off came as a real surprise to everyone in the office

The new software isn't the main point for discussion tomorrow, but should anyone raise the subject by any chance, I'll give my views

The new software isn't the main point for discussion tomorrow, but if the subject happens to be brought up by anyone, I'll give my views

The new square has made the town centre nicer, but public transport could still be improved a lot

The new square has made the town centre nicer, but there's still plenty of room for improvement as far as public transport is concerned

Phoebe was surprised to be offered a place on the course

The offer of a place on the course came as a surprise to Phoebe

The police apologised a great deal for having completely failed to recognise the seriousness of the situation

The police were very apologetic about their complete failure to recognise the seriousness fo the situation

I had the impression that the salesman was a trustworthy person

The salesman struck me as the type of person you could trust

Peter's rejection of her suggestion to increase the membership fee caused offence to the tennis club president

The tennis club president got/was offended when Peter rejected her suggestion to increase the membership fee

The traffic was so bad that there was obviously no way we would get to the theatre on time, so we went home

The traffic was so bad that we obviously didn't stand a chance of getting to the theatre on time, so we went home

It seems as if we misunderstood what the aims of the course were

There seems to have been a misunderstanding about what the aims of the course were

Radford has contributed in a useful way this season, the team would probably be fine without him

Useful though Radford's contribuition has/contributions have been this season, the team would probably be fine without him

We've talked a lot about Peter's description of what happened that day at the beach and I'm sure he wasn't lying

We've talked a lot about Peter's description of what happened that day at the beach and he must have been telling the truth

When questioned by journalists, the company director said he had never had any involvement in discussions about a merger with another organisation

When questioned by journalists, the company director denied being involved in discussions about a merger with another organisation

Why ever did it never occur to me to ask my grandmother if she knew when the picture had been taken?

Why on earth did I never/did not I think of asking my grandmother if she knew when the picture had been taken?

Yasmin's uncle said to her that she should stop her children eating junk food

Yasmin's uncle told her not to let her children eat junk food any more

After a few days in England, you won't find it strange to drive on the left

You'll get used to driving on the left after a few days in England

We will send your new passport tomorrow, provided your paperwork is in order

Your new passport will be sent/posted tomorrow as/so long as your paperwork is in order

Dr Sharp wants you to look after his patients while he's away

Dr Sharp would like you to take care of his patients during/in/throughout his absence

When he was younger, Alfie was able to memorise poems very well

Alfie was very good at learning poems by heart when he was younger

If we take everything into account, the street party was a great success in the end

All things considered the street party turned out to be a great success in the end

Although Jacqui is 75, she is quite determined to go on working in the post office

Although she is 75, Jacqui has no intention of giving up working in the post office

Unless someone comes late we should be able to get through all the points in today's meeting

As long as everybody/everyone turns up on time, we should be able to get through all the points in today's meeting

By the end of the month, it will be two years since Hendrik came to England

By the end of the month, Hendrik will have been living in England for two years

Chloe didn't mind Gary being the favourite when they were children

Chloe had no objection to Gary being the favourite when they were children

I'm not in the least bit worried by cold weather

Cold weather does not worry me at all